Avinodos Wines

Avinodos was co-founded in 2012 by two individuals, Dan Dexter and Lorn Brambila. For several early vintages, Lorn’s father, Gustavo Brambila was their winemaker. Gustavo is one of Napa Valley’s most venerable and well-regarded winemakers and has crafted more than 40 vintages to date. Today Dan and his wife Julie are the sole proprietors of Avinodos Wines and in 2014 Dan took over winemaking from Gustavo.

Dan is originally from small town Toulon, Illinois where he was raised on a 400-acre grain operation which his family has owned since 1836; he met Lorn in San Francisco when both were working for a finance company. Working for finance was a big switch in Dan’s life from his family farm where they grew corn and soybeans. While both were working in San Francisco Lorn invited Dan up to Napa to help with his family’s harvest. Having a familiarity and pull towards agriculture, Dan quickly became fascinated with the process of making wine.

Fortuitously the company he was working for closed their USA based operations. By this time Dan had caught the “wine bug” and proposed to Lorn they start their own wine brand. They creatively decided on a name by combining several words in Spanish – as a tribute to Lorn and Gustavo’s heritage. And in addition, choosing words that represent wine making – literally translated into Spanish, Avinodos means “To Wine Two” – in this case referring to the two partners making wine as well as Lorn being a second-generation vintner.

When Dan talks about making the switch from working in finance to working in the wine industry you can almost hear him breathe a sigh of relief. He says his new career choice “is not like work anymore as it has become more of a lifestyle” – with the caveat of, “other than working at 2am during harvest”.

Gustavo and Lorn own a vineyard management company and currently manage about 80 acres in various parts of Napa Valley. As a result, they have full control of the vineyards they source fruit from for Avinodos – essentially total control from vine to bottle. And they source from premium vineyards in select sub appellations including the Oak Knoll District, Atlas Peak and Diamond Mountain.

The focus of Dan’s wine making is creating a diversity of food friendly balanced wines often showing more restraint than some of Napa Valley’s more opulent bottlings. Oak is always a complementary character rather than a dominating one. All the Avinodos wines are priced very reasonably based on quality and pedigree of the vineyard sites. While their wines have received accolades, they are still too far under the radar for most visitors to Napa Valley. But hopefully that will change.

Select Wines
Sauvignon Blanc
The 2023 Avinodos Sauvignon Blanc, Yountville is medium gold in color; the bouquet is saddled somewhere in between herbal and tropical with just enough aromatic typicity to let you know that this is Sauvignon Blanc. Its scents include lemongrass, honeysuckle, pineapple, pineapple guava, apricot, yellow peach and honeydew melon. Generous in terms of its aromatics. This wine is lightly tangy both on the bouquet and the palate. It tastes like honeydew melon, yellow pineapple, apricot, peach, honeycomb and vanilla. Superbly balanced, it is drinking in a sweet spot three years post vintage but still has a number of years ahead with the proper cellar care. It finishes with plenty of zest with its lightly creamy texture lifted high by the bright but not bracing acidity. Refreshing. Mouth watering. This wine screams for seafood. Something with two shells please. Perhaps enjoy this with a Thai recipe of scallops with coconut cream sauce. Its listed ABV is 13.5%.

The 2020 Avinodos Sauvignon Blanc Los Carneros is deep straw in color; the sweetly floral bouquet offers aromas of honeysuckle and various tropical white flowers along with ruby grapefruit, lemongrass, pine branch, kumquat and yellow pineapple. The palate offers an immediacy of intensity including flavors of lemon/lime, green apple and a lingering presence of a sweet/sour tangy-like acidity. Closer to room temperature, its texture is supple and fleshy, but texturally ‘tightens up’ when the wine is served at a cooler temperature. This wine would be an ideal pairing with either raw or fried oysters. We are thinking picnicking at Tomales Bay in Marin County; it is mid Fall, a time of year when the fog backs off from the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean and the afternoons are often warm.

The 2013 Avinodos Sauvignon Blanc, sourced from the same prestigious Oak Knoll District vineyard as its 2012 predecessor, reveals an evolution in character that leans toward a more layered complexity. On the nose, the wine is immediately inviting, unfolding with delicate floral nuances and the bright, airy scent of citrus blossoms. This aromatic elegance transitions seamlessly to a palate that feels both polished and precise. The mouthfeel remains clean, dominated by vibrant notes of zesty grapefruit and lemon zest, underscored by a subtle, flinty mineral backbone that provides an extra dimension of structure. While the wine retains a hallmark of high acidity, it avoids being overly sharp or bracing; instead, a generous core of ripe fruit serves as a weightier counterpoint, keeping the entire experience beautifully harmonized and balanced from the first sip to the crisp finish.

The 2012 Avinodos Sauvignon Blanc holds a special place in the portfolio as the inaugural vintage of this varietal. On the nose, it opens with a vibrant bouquet of gooseberry and pear, layered with the sweet, delicate perfume of citrus blossom. This aromatic complexity carries through to a palate defined by its precision and energy. The experience concludes with a finish that is clean and crisp, leaving behind refreshing notes of tart green apple. Throughout the tasting, a backbone of very bright, lively acidity provides a sense of lift and structure, ensuring the wine remains focused and invigorating from start to finish. While we often reach for Sauvignon Blanc with seafood, try pairing this bottling with tangy feta and watermelon salad.

Malbec
Interestingly, Avinodos bottled a 100% varietal single vineyard Malbec as their first red wine release. The grapes for this wine were growing in a vineyard that Gustavo had never worked with and in his long tenure in the valley and over the span of his wine making career, had never made a single vineyard single varietal Malbec.

In Napa Valley, Malbec has evolved from a secondary blending component into a celebrated standalone varietal. Traditionally used in small percentages to add deep “inky” color and plush textures to Cabernet Sauvignon blends, it has found a unique expression in Napa’s diverse microclimates. Still, there are not many wineries in the valley making a 100% varietal Malbec. In districts like Coombsville and Stags Leap, Malbec develops a round, opulent profile with flavors of black plum, cocoa, and violet. When grown at higher elevations, such as on Mount Veeder or Atlas Peak, the grape retains vibrant natural acidity and develops more structural, velvety tannins. While Argentina is the global leader for this variety, Napa Valley Malbec is prized for its “purist” expression, offering a sophisticated alternative to Cabernet with a signature profile of dark chocolate, juicy berry fruit, and a silky, approachable mouthfeel.

The 2016 Avinodos Malbec was sourced from the Oak Knoll District. This part of Napa Valley is located towards its more southern reaches and is an appellation known for its diversity of both white and red varieties. This wine is dark ruby in color and almost opaque to look at. At 6 years post vintage at the time of our tasting, the bouquet is not shy with its secondary aromatics. Open and inviting this wine offers aromas of dark plums, roasted coffee, nutmeg, brown sugar, mocha and Graham cracker. In the mouth this wine is seamless from the attack through the finish featuring flavors of both red and darker fruits complemented by a lingering savory character and pop of acidity. It finishes with finely knitted silty-like textured dusty tannins. Noteworthy is this wines’ balance. Avinodos has produced their Malbec from Oak Knoll since their first vintage of this wine in 2012.

Beyond its relative youth, the 2013 Avinodos Malbec barrel sample represents a distinct stylistic departure from its predecessors, offering a more intense and muscular expression of the varietal. Although it originates from the exact same vineyard blocks as the previous year, the wine underwent a significantly longer post-alcoholic fermentation maceration, an artisanal technique that has extracted both depth of color and a more formidable tannin profile. The result is a glass that appears deep, dark, and almost brooding, signaling its concentration from the first pour. On the palate, the wine reveals a robust structure, highlighted by prominent notes of cedar on the entry. While these woody nuances are a hallmark of its current stage in the barrel, they are expected to integrate and soften as the wine matures and settles in the bottle. This is a powerful, serious Malbec with the structural integrity and balance required for impressive long-term age-ability.

The 2012 Avinodos Malbec, sourced from the cooler reaches of the Oak Knoll District, presents a departure from the broader, more jammy styles often associated with this variety. The nose is elegant, opening with an aromatic profile that leads with notes of fragrant sandalwood and toasted cedar box. These savory elements are layered over deeper, more concentrated scents of dark fruit liqueur and a subtle fruit driven sweetness. A distinct floral component, reminiscent of dried lavender, provides an airy lift that adds a layer of grace to the initial impression. On the palate, the wine demonstrates structure and precision. The tannins make a delicate appearance on the front of the tongue before evolving into a more intricate, grippy complexity toward the back of the palate. This structural progression is supported by the hallmark of Avinodos winemaking: a vibrant, mouth-watering acidity. This brightness ensures the darker fruit flavors remain fresh rather than heavy, carrying the wine through a long, polished finish that highlights its cool-climate origins.

Syrah
The 2023 Avinodos Syrah, Cardiac Hill Vineyard Bennett Valley Sonoma County is medium to deep purple and opaque – or in other words, its color is inky dark. The focus of the bouquet is clearly on its core fruit characteristics with the oak offering a soft but complementary conversation from the back seat. This wine smells like dark plum, blackberry, boysenberry, Pakistani mulberry with its non-fruited notes including lavender, cured meats, a hint of dark pepper, cocoa powder and old cedar box. It is juicy and succulent across the palate, not always adjectives we use to describe wines at nearly 15.0% listed ABV. The flavors are weighted towards the darker side of the spectrum, including of blackberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, Satsuma plum and crushed pepper. Almost meaty, but never heavy. The broadly dispersed tannins fully coat the palate with a tumbled and gravelly grip, that persists beyond the fruit with a dusty and drying character. Needs BBQ, a summer evening, a pool and good friends for best results. Only two barrels were produced of this beauty.

Zinfandel
The 2022 Zinfandel, Atlas Peak Napa Valley is medium ruby in color; the bouquet smells easy going and ready for a bit of fun. The immediately fruity (but not overtly jammy) bouquet offers notes of dark raspberry, cherry cola, red licorice, Santa Rosa plum while accompanied by assorted baking spices including cinnamon stick and clove. And a hint of vanilla as the wine breathes. The palate is simultaneously fruity and spicy with flavors of red cherry, currant, cranberry sauce, pomegranate, white pepper, anise and a light layering of dried herbs including bay leaf. Looking for an over ripe California-esque wine from this variety? Look elsewhere. This is an every day drinking balanced Zinfandel meant to be paired with pizza or pasta. Lively across the palate, its energy is anchored by a lively acidity. The tannins offer a subtle tug, persisting in tandem with fruit on the finish with a light drying/dusty character. And how much Zinfandel is grown on Atlas Peak? We venture a guess that there is very little of this variety planted there. For reference, two sub AVAs within Napa Valley are known for Zinfandel; they are Calistoga and Howell Mountain.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2018 Avinodos Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll District is dark ruby in the glass; the bouquet offers expressive darker fruits including ripe Santa Rosa Plum and blackberries along with rusting iron, dark olive, sage, subtle spearmint notes and as the wine evolves in the glass, offers a note of cocoa powder. Generous in its flavor profile, the mouth showcases both dark and red fruits accompanied by lively and mouth-watering acidity across the palate. This wine lingers with some dark notes of crushed pepper deep in the finish along with a light to medium grip of tannins and a slight dryness. This bottling is superbly balanced in its youth and should remain that way for years to come. A contemporary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that is less than 14% alcohol. Believe it.

The 2018 Avinodos Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District offers ripe, generous and fruit-forward scents focusing on darker fruits including blackberry and boysenberry along with chocolate and cassis. The aromatics are dark and richly layered showcasing an alluring amalgam of both primary fruit and secondary oak characteristics. Those looking for crowd pleasing pleasure providing Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, need look no further than this wine. Hedonistic across the palate its flavors are of dark plum, blackberry and some notes of tobacco spice. The abundant and persistent tannins show both a chewy-like density and chalkiness of texture. They are long lasting but are not course in their textural feel. While a riper bottling, like the other Avinodos wines, this wine is still anchored by excellent acidity. This is a very cellar worth wine.

The 2017 Avinodos Cabernet Sauvignon Two Barrel Reserve Oakville is dark ruby in the glass and opaque; initially the aromatics ar a bit brooding with some meaty-like, leather and earth driven characteristics, but be patient as the bouquet needs time to open further. And when it does it offers darker fruits including black plums and currant along with a light touch of old cedar box, mocha and dried herbs. The lift of acidity across the palate is quickly noticeable featuring a tangy/tart liveliness and freshness which causes an immediate mouth-watering sensation. Higher toned and nimble, this wine offers flavors of red cherry, currant and cranberry. The persistent tannins still show a bit tight with a medium structured grip.

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Avinodos is located in the Crusher Wine District, a part of south Napa in the business park near Kaiser Road and along Napa Valley Corporate Drive. There are both advantages and disadvantages to being this part of Napa Valley; one of the big advantages is cost savings by not owning vineyard land. The wineries located here are production facilities and or production combined a hospitality element (no vineyards). In addition to making his own wines here, Dan oversees a 5,000 case custom crush facility which is used for winemaking by other small brands.

Most of the wineries in the Crusher District are very small production and source grapes from family-owned vineyards. There is a certain creative element from wineries in this part of Napa Valley certainly facilitated by a number of young winemakers willing to take risks and explore vineyards outside of Napa Valley. Some of the wineries in this business park also have adjoining tasting rooms for appointment only visits including Avinodos’ own small nicely appointed tasting room where visitors can taste their own wines as well as wines bottled under the J Moss brand.

In 2019 Avinodos moved a short distance from their original tasting room location and now maintain a shared tasting room in the same building as J Moss Winery. The tasting room is small but nicely decorated using interior furnishings created from old barrel staves. And if one visits during late morning and into the afternoon, an excellent taco truck is often parked almost directly across the street.

This winery is pet friendly. We have always found plenty of curbside parking within easy walking distance of their tasting room. For more information about Avinodos, to join Club Avinodos (with 4, 6 or 12 bottle two automatic annual shipments) and or to make an appointment for either a Current Release or Reserve wine tasting, visit: www.avinodos.com

Current Tasting Room

Winery

Original Tasting Room